Ducru and Fevre

Dinner at Hansik Goo.

2014 William Fevre Chablis Les Clos, en magnum - the nose was surprisingly oily and ripe, but it was still lean on the palate, with a ripe finish. Drinking well.

The Leroy Bourgogne Blanc était bouchonnée...

1999 Ducru-Beaucaillou - served around 2 hours after decanting. Beautiful nose with graphite, cigar smoke, a hint of savory notes with some cassis underneath. Very fragrant and open. Drinking really well.

Full post on dinner is here.

Veuve Rosé

Drinking at home.

Veuve Clicquot Rosé - strawberries and flint on the nose, along with honey. Pretty caramelized and round on the palate.

Daimon dinner

Dinner at Neighborhood with sake from Daimon Brewery.

Daimon 55 Junmai Ginjo (大門  55純米大吟醸) - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 55%. This was very easy to like, with lots of banana on the nose, not too sweet on the palate, almost a little effervescent. Actually this was very light on the palate with a slightly dry finish. Goes down very easily.

Rikyubai Shizuka Junmai Ginjo (利休梅 静香 純米吟醸) - seimaibuai of 55%. More fruity, more lively on the palate, with a longer finish.

Daimon 35 Junmai Daiginjo (大門  35純米大吟醸) - seimaibuai of 35%. Nose was very muted. Higher acidity on the palate, Showed more depth when tasted along with the fish. More rounded on the palate.

Daimon Road to Osaka Tokubetsu Junmai Nigori - seimaibuai of 60%. Fruity and with more acidity. When tasting along with the fish this became more dry and spicy on the palate. Actually had a lot more depth on the palate.

Daimon 45 Junmai Daiginjo (大門  45純米大吟醸) - seimaibuai of 45%. Apparently this uses white koji instead of yellow koji. There's more fermented flavors and more umami, and much more depth and character on the palate.

The Toji Series Edition 1 Junmai Daiginjo, 1999 BY02 - a blend of 1999 and 2020 vintages, which explains why the flavors were much more fermented. This is recommended to be served at room temperature instead of being chilled. Very rounded and viscous on the palate. Very elegant.

Full post on dinner is here.

Turley and Trimbach

Drinking at home.

1989 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Émile, en demi-bouteille - very caramelized and very sweet on the palate. Sweetness was surprisingly high and easily more mature than the vendages tardives I drank a few days ago. Plenty of honey and marmalade, orange blossom water, with a little bitterness on the finish.

2004 Turley Zinfandel Duarte Vineyard - drank 1 hour and 15 minutes after decanting. Very open now, a little pungent like rubber, and still kinda sharp and alcoholic on the nose. A little jammy, very nice nose of bacon and grilled meats, very fragrant, with tons of cassis and blackcurrant. Kinda toasty and almost got coffee notes. Very smooth on the palate. Drinking very well but would have been better if the piercing alcohol was toned down.

2004 Kilikanoon Oracle

Drinking at home.

2004 Kilikanoon Oracle Shiraz - decanted and served 40 minutes after opening. There was lots of sweet fruit while decanting but the first sip showed more smoke and savory black olive, and the acidity was on the high side with a sharp, alcoholic nose. Thirty minutes later this was so fragrant with lovely spices. A little sweet on the palate now. Drinking beautifully after an hour. Alcohol was still definitely on the high side, but the nose was so sweet and ripe it was like honey.

White and sweet

Dinner at Wing.

Egly-Ouriet Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru, dégorgée en juillet 2020 - nice and ripe on the palate. Sooo smooth. So delicious.

2013 Au Pied du Mont Chauve Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos Saint Jean - fruity, almost like passion fruit, with nice flinty notes.

1989 Trimbach Cuvée Frédéric Émile Vendages Tardives - huge nose of petrol and white flowers. Definitely sweetish on the palate.

2005 Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge - drank more than 2½ hours after opening. Very caramelized as expected, with lots of vanilla and cotton candy. Not a wine everyone will enjoy.

Full post on dinner is here.

Rhône for Le French Gourmay

Dinner at Ta Vie.

1999 Pol Roger Blanc de Blancs - very lovely and fragrant nose, ripe and caramelized, very soft and alluring like a beautiful woman looking at you with a mischievous smile on her face, beckoning you to come closer. Sipping it with the taste of crab and corn still on the palate drew out lots of minerals. Almost like crème caramel some 1½ hours after opening.

2009 Chave Hermitage Blanc - started drinking 30 minutes after decanting, with a huge nose of toast and flint, along with some sweet vanilla underneath. Beautiful, buttery and silky smooth. Absolutely stunning starting from 10 minutes in and remained so for the rest of the evening.

2007 Clos des Papes Rouge - served from bottle 1 hour and 15 minutes after opening. Pretty nice minty nose with a hint of sweetness, some leather, and a little farmy with ripe fruit on the palate. Very fragrant with almost a hint of floral notes, but also a hint of pungent notes. Some 30 minutes in the nose turned big and toasty. Drinking very, very nicely tonight.

2006 Jean-Michel Stephan Côte-Rôtie Côteaux de Tupin - served 1½ hours after decanting. This was soooo fucking beautiful! So floral with lavender, plenty of red fruits. Still a little grippy on the palate. Still beautiful 15 minutes in with cool fruit and eucalyptus, then we got smoke and grilled meats about 1 hour in. I would give this 96 points, but only because the higher than expected acidity detracted from how beautiful this wine was.

Full post on dinner is here.

1995 Togni

Dinner at Nikushou.

1995 Philip Togni - decanted 1 hour after opening and served 15 minutes later. Lots of cedar on the nose with fragrant woodsy notes. The acidity on the palate was slightly higher than expected initially. As the wine opened up it showed a big nose of tobacco, cigar box, and a little graphite. The acidity subsided a little and became more balanced with some sweetness and more body.

Full post on dinner is here.